IN MEMORIAM: Phyllis G. Cooke, 86;
Former WAC, Four Daughters Survive
UNADILLA – Phyllis G. Cooke, 86, of Unadilla, a former WAC and mother of four daughters, passed away peacefully on Monday, Jan. 27, 2020, at the state Veterans Home in Oxford.
She was born on April 9, 1933, in Preston Park, Pa., to Ward & Hope (Phillips) Sherman.
As a child, Phyllis attended a one-room school house and was raised by her mother and siblings on a small farm. A Korean War veteran, Phyllis joined the Women’s Army Corps in April 1951. She was stationed in Chicago, and attained the rank of Private E-2 as a teletypewriter pperator.
Phyllis married Richard M. Cooke on April 7, 1956. They built a house in the Village of Unadilla and raised their children, together, there. An avid gardener, Phyllis enjoyed canning her own vegetables, sewing, fishing and a good game of pitch.
Phyllis was predeceased by her husband, Richard, in 2010.
She is survived by her four daughters and sons-in-law: Laura and Charles Wilson of Crossville, Tenn., Amy Clark and her fiancé Clarence Wells of Kennesaw, Ga., Sara and David Dahm of Johnson City, Jill and Reed Sholtes of Schoharie, nine grandchildren, six great-grandchildren, her sister Joyce Bartleson of Binghamton, and several nieces and nephews.
Private Graveside Services will be held at the convenience of the family in Sand Hill Cemetery with military honors. Online condolences may be made at: www.wmaddenfh.com. Arrangements by the Westcott-Madden Funeral Home 123 Main Street Unadilla.
